Earthquake death toll tops 40,000 amid scenes of miracle and despair

The death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has surpassed 40,000. A DW team is documenting events in the disaster zone. The border between Turkey and rebel-controlled areas of Syria has been largely closed for a long time, but has now re-opened further, to allow in aid supplies. Mohamad Chreyteh reports from the Bab al-Hawa border crossing.
After a natural disaster, there's limited time to find people alive and get them to safety. More than a week after the quakes on the Turkish-Syrian border, the chances of survival are slight.
But over the past few days, a number of miracle rescues have been captured on camera, making news around the world. A teenage boy being carried to safety, a young girl being pulled out from underneath a mountain of debris. It's what gives hope to people who have relatives missing - and provided much-needed moments of joy to rescue teams working in physically and emotionally challenging circumstances.